Improved apparatus for carburetting air



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l I Letters .Patent .N 94,898, dated September l14, 186.9.

v IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR CARBURETTING AIR.

The Schedule referred to :in-these Letters Patent and making partof the same.

To allwhom it may conce/rn.'

Be it known that I, JULES FnANols LAFROGNE, of Paris, in the Empire of France, engineer, have invented new and useful Improvements in rthe Manufacture of'Gas for Lighting'and Heating, and iu Apparatus employed therein; and do hereby declare the followiilg to be a true reference being drawings, and to is to say.-

`Various methods for simplifying and economizing thev production of gas have engaged the attention of iaxmactm-ers of this artclefor a considerable time.

Instead ofthe present system of producing gas by the distillation of coal, it is `desirable to substitute more easy methods which, without incurring a great had to the accompanying sheet of the letters of referencethereon, that `outlay in works and'pipedaying, will enable a rich su ppl-y of gas to ybe `obtained by villages, factories, and even private residences, at a small cost.

Amor-1g' the methods proposed, the one that seems tobe most in favor among theinventors of the present time, isthat which consists `in causing a current of air` to pass over and througlra natural or artificial mineral product, by which the principal gases are volatilized and carbonized, and afterward supplied to the burners.

'lhisscheme, for the carbonization of atmospheric air, has been in use for about thirty years, and has formed the basis of numerous processes and apparatus which have proved anything but successful.

In following the samepath myself', I have thought that this process could not beA practically successful without all the diiculties relating thereto being thoroughly solved. M v system comprises a totally novel process and ap-l paratus: it is founded upon the carbonizatiou of atmos heric air and resents this method as will be hereafter seen, under more simple and rational con-4 ditions than has hitherto been the case.

The chief characteristics of my invention are asl follows: Y

First, the apparatus is combined with a motor,- worked by a part of the gas produced, and which feeds directly the "reservoir or carbonizer containing `the mineral oil with the atmospheric air necessary for the generation of gas p p Second, the presence of the motor enables circulation of water to .beset up in a chamber -surrounding the Carburettor, iu order to absorb the cold resulting from the evaporation of the essential oil. The cold water is then led into the motor, whereit is reheat'ed, in actinga's a condensingagent, and returns into the chamber, and gives back to the hydrocarbon the heat lit has lost, sothat the saidhydrocarbon-is constantly reheated by the water-as soon as it becomes cool, ,there being no interruption or retardation in the production of the` gas.

and exact description thereof,

Third, the air is drawn in by a system of bellows actuated by the motor, then sent into a regula-ting` reservoir, wl ltre'itv accumulates under anearly constant pressure.

Fourth, the air is saturated with the'carbonized vapors in passing through a series of layers of annel nnd'of wood shavings or sawdust, which imbibe the hydrocarbon by capillary attraction, and which, besides, are `always kept in a moiststate by a pneumatic injector actuated by the motor. The saturated air passes up through lthis series of alternate layers of annel, shavings, and iron-lilings, which deprive it cfiAt-s excess vof vapor, and of its lum-volatilized globules, and it then passes, in the required saturated condition, through a main pipe, from whence it is consumed.

Having thus explained the principalcharacteristics of my invention, I will v'now describe the same with reference to thc accompanying sheet of drawin gs, which .shows the mode of constructing my apparatus and its action.

Figure 1 and 2 represent sectional elevations ofthe apparatus, and` Figure 3 is a longitudinal section of part of the insulating-tube, which conducts the airto the Carburettor. The motive power l prefer to` use is constructedafter the manner of that invented by M. Laub'ereau, and is worked by hot and cold air. 1twill not he necessary for me to give a detailed description, of it here. Iwillmerely` state that it consists of a cylinder,

l, furnished with a piston, 2,

and with a coldfair chamber, 3, in which works a hollow piston or bucket, 4, and which is surroundedb'y a reservoir for containing cold water.

The movements of the pistons 2 and 4 operate so that, when the expanded airA has raised the piston 2 the pistou 4 'rises quickly to draw in hot air tothe cold part of the chamber 3, which aids the descent of the piston 2.

The lowers` part of the chamber 3 forms ahearth, 5, provided with a chimney, the said hearth being heated by a gas flame issuing from a pipe, E, supplied by the brauch o of the main gas-pipe .l

The piston-rod ofthe motor is, by means of a crank, connected to the shaft' 11, which, by the aid of a cam, q, and of a groove, actuates the rod fr of the bucket 4 working in the chamber 3.

I use this bucket-rod `rfor actuating, either directly or by an intermediate lever, the bellows hereafter described.

The shaft p imparts its'uiotion, through the crank b, to the small rod a, which causes the lever cto oscil- 'late on its fulcrum 5 This oscillation of the `lever c produces the alternate rectilinear ascent and'descent ot' the two piston-rods f and f', and consequently causes the compression and expansion of the fourybellows g g and hh'.

The two first, g g', serve to continually draw in the air and expel it into the vessel B, the two others, hh', serve for another purpose, hereafter explained.

The air continuously forced out by the tube A passes intothe vessel B, which thus forms the regulating-reservoir; from thence it escapes by the tube C, and tills the annular space D surrounding the heating-chamber E.

The temperature of the air is here raised, facilitating its consecutive carbonization and combustion, and it thenleaves by the ltube F, in a heated state, to enter the lower part of the carbonizing-apparatus.

This tube F, of which a section is shown in o. 3, is double, the interior tube serving for the circula-tion of hot-air, and the space between the two tubes being tilled with sawdust or other non-conducting substance.

Thisarrangement of the ytube F is to avoid the cooling of the air in its passage from the annular reservoir D to the carlmretter.

On leaving the tube F the hot air` traverses the small annel' disk i, then circula-tes among the plates j, 7s, and I, following the course indicated by the arrows. The arrangement of these plates causes the air to distribute itself in' zigzag directions, and thereby- Ithoroughly saturate itself 'with the principal volatile essences of the hydrocarbons, through which it passes in all directions.

Above the last plate l the air traverses the mass m of wool and wood sharings impregnated with hydrocarbons; then, after-having also been exposed to the earburization ofthe flannel and iron filings soaked in the tube G, it es apes, ready for lightingpurposes, through the tube H, which distributes it as required.

rlhe reservoir J is always kept full of hydrocarbonoils, which iiow through the tube a to cover the plates j l; and the lowcr part of the mass of wool and shavings 1n, which also rcccives an injection of hydrocarbon-oil at its upper part tiom the small pump L', actnatedby the bellows l1, above described.

The second bellows 71, draws cold water from the lower part of the exterior .casing X by means of the pump L, and expels it at the upper part ofthe motor, thus causing it to become cold again.

A small branch pipe, o, always supplies the jet E, for heating the chamberI 3 with gas.

rlhesc explanations render it unnecessary for me to go into the more extendedapplication ofthe operation ofthe apparatus.

After having iilled the reservoir .T with the required amount of t-he'essential oils of schist, petroleum, or other hydrocarbon, the apparatus is put in motion by hand; and having, by this means, produced a sutiicient vquantity of gas, the jet E is lighted, andthe apparatus will then work automatically. v

It will be understood that the cocks ofthe different tubes, and the valves with which the reservoirs and their pipes are provided, will be,accur ately regulated before the apparatus is set in motion.

Itv would be also advantageous to apply this apparatus to heating-purposes, in which case a coil of pipe would be arranged in the interior of the hearth, or some of the air supplied bythe bellows might be circulated in the apartment.

I reserve to myself the right of modifying the fdetails of my apparatus so far as the form, materials and dimensions are concerned, according to its appli cat-ion, and the number of jets to be supplied in the establishment.

Having thus described my improvements,

I claim the exclusive benefit resulting from my invention, as set forth by the following characteristics thereof: y

1. The novel application to the carbonizing-apparatus of a motor actuated by a caloriiic supply obtained from the gas produced, the which motor may be worked by air, gas, or steam; and I claim particularlythe use ofLaubereaus motor, before mentioned, in conjunction with my invention.

2. The reheating of the hydrocarbon essential oils or liquids by the use of a jacket attached to the motor, in which said jacket water is caused to circulate.

3. The ei'nployment of a series of bellows with continuous action worked by the 1notor,'aml serving for drawing in and expelling air, and of areservoir for accumulating the air and regulating its iiow.

4. The rehea'ting of the air before its admission in'to the carbonize".

5. The'employment of the mass of wool and shavings, moistencd by capillary attraction, and also by an injection of liquid by the motor.

In -testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification before two subscribing witnesses.

J.- F. LAFROGNR lVitnesses:

C. Larot'n, I?. OLooTT. 

